USM vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak told Business Times in Penang that the university plans to franchise its five-year medical degree programme by joining forces with KLE University's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Belgaum, Karnataka state.
The move is seen as benefiting both institutions of higher learning, which are eyeing to recruit overseas students for their medical degree courses.
KLE University, or Karnatak Lingayat Education, is sponsored by KLE Society, established in 1916. The university was set up in 2006 and boasts of faculties of dentistry, pharmacy, ayurveda, physiotherapy and nursing as well as medicine.
Dzulkifli said USM was invited by KLE to franchise its medical degree on the Indian subcontinent, adding that response from private students has been overwhelming.
"We were only looking at an initial 100 students and have received 400 applications so far," he said.
Dzulkifli said USM will not be committing any capital to the venture as all the infrastructure will be provided by the Indian partner.
"USM will have a permanent deputy dean based in India and the course will be run by Indian academics who are trained by us."
USM's School of Medical Sciences is located in Kubang Kerian in Kelantan.
"We will begin in July by franchising the five-year medical degree, after which we may consider dentistry and pharmacy.
"If this venture is successful, we may consider duplicating the franchising model in the United Arab Emirates," Dzulkifli said.
Apart from tapping the lucrative foreign student market, USM is also looking at giving its medical students exposure as exchange students in India, one of the few remaining countries where medical students can work on cadavers.
